The audiobook version of this book was great (I also read it as an ebook). I also really liked the interview with the author that was included in the end.

With respect to the story itself, American Mother is the true crime story of a woman, Stella Nickell, who murdered her husband Bruce by giving him Excedrin capsules filled with cyanide. The medical examiner initially stated that the cause of death was emphysema. Stella was free and clear of the murder -- that is -- until she became greedy. You see, if the death was accidental, then Stella would get a bigger payout from the life insurance.

Sickly inspired by the "tylenol murders", which was a series of poisoning deaths resulting from drug tampering in the Chicago metropolitan area in 1982, Stella formulated a plan: she would contaminate Excedrin bottles with cyanide filled capsules and put them on the shelves at drug stores. Then, when someone else took them and died, it would be seen as another "drug tampering" case, and Bruce's death would be ruled an accident. This plot is sick and twisted, and Stella almost got away with it. Who would think that someone would be so callous as to murder complete strangers to cover up the murder of her husband?

A short while after Stella put the bottles on the shelves, a woman named Sue took those cyanide pills and died. This time the medical examiner found the cyanide in her system. After Sue's death hit the news, Stella started calling authorities stating her belief that her husband had also taken contaminated pills. It was found to be true.

Essentially, what it boils down to, is that Stella murdered Sue so that Bruce's death would be ruled an accident and Stella could get more money. What a heartless piece of garbage!

Gregg Olsen tells the story of not only the murder and the victim, Sue, but also the background on the Nickell family. While I'm not a big fan of focusing on the killer (because the focus should be on the victim instead), it was important to see Stella's family dynamics, as there was some speculation, although never proven, that Stella's daughter was in on the plot as well.

I really like how Olsen told the story -- it wasn't dry like some true crime books, and it held my interest. There was some repetition of the facts when Olsen wrote about the trial (and honestly this was my least favorite part), but on the other hand it really drove home the point that Stella was a heartless monster who killed 2 people for the money.

If you like true crime, I would definitely recommend this book.

"Gripping and heart-breaking, Gregg Olsen uncovers the shocking true story of a troubled family. He delves into a complex mother-daughter relationship rooted in mistrust and deception, and the journey of the sweet curly-haired little girl from Oregon whose fierce ambition to live the American Dream led her to make the ultimate betrayal."

DNF at 27%. I read Gregg Olsen's If You Tell and I enjoyed it although admittedly I was bored at points. I think his level of research is a bit beyond my love of interest. Get ready for a LOT of in depth story telling about a relatively boring nonfiction story. At this point, I don't think I'll ever pick up another one of his books.

Thank you NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing and Gregg Olsen for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a rough one. I was bored senseless and couldn't get through this one, so ultimately I did not finish it. It felt like the same story over and over again and I could not understand how it was so long.

Didn’t love this. It was redundant and felt like it dragged. I listened to it but it was still too long. I will check out the Netflix special on it though.

This was a DEEP dive into the Excedrin murders that happened in the mid 80s. I felt like the amount of background given on Stella and Cindy was mostly interesting but also a lot. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

1 Star ~

Simply this book was way too long-winded and boring. It just wouldn't end.
True-crime novels are some of my favourites, I love learning about what's gone on previously and what has led someone to what has happened now and then what the future holds. But in American Mother, it is just so repetitive...
How many times does one need to repeat the man didn't take his physical, therefore his life insurance policy was only worth a small amount? Because it was repeated at least 20-30 times within this novel.

I also feel it is highly unnecessary to basically have an entire transcript of the trial within the book. Sure a few quotes here and there would be nice, but my god, I don't need a play-by-play of all the witnesses and then the jury.

The only reason I finished it was to find out if the suspect was prosecuted or not. Although I feel like I should have just googled it, instead of wasting hours of my life.

I am assuming this is being re-published because of the little addition to the end about Gregg Olsen catching up with some of the victims and the suspect. Seems unnecessary to me. I was really disappointed in this novel as a whole.

I want to give a thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this, in return for an honest review.

This was such a fascinating audiobook! I was actually familiar with the case because I remember the Forensic Files episode but this provided so much more detail. I enjoyed the format - the first half covered the timeline of events provided by different persons related to the case and the second half covered the trial. I highly recommend this one If you enjoy true crime books or podcasts and I definitely will be reading more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ALC!

I love true crime, and this is a fascinating case, but I felt as though this audiobook was about 3 hours too long. It included a lot of details that were, quite frankly, unnecessary and repetitive. I appreciate detail in my true crime, but the amount of detail was staggering and made the book drag quite a bit.

If you like true crime and the stories before during and after then you will love this book. Based on the cynanide murders in America. I didn't know about the case but was intrigued straight away, did she do it or not? Was it the daughter? A real life whodunnit set in the 80's around trailer parks and a troubled family it was bound to have some twists and turns and this is the real story. Absolutely not fictional, all based on the facts and real people. I found the book a bit on the long side but listened to every word. The narration was excellent, softly spoken in an American accent but not brash and loud, done a great job. Thank you #NetGalley for the audiobook to review.

American Mother is a true crime novel about pain medication laced with cyanide and the death of two people with the motive being money. I am a huge fan of this genre but found this book far too long and not particularly easy to follow. The narrator was slightly too over the top for my liking and this really detracted from the storyline.

A true crime murder story ripped from the headlines in the 80's. Stella Nickell calls for help on June 5, 1986 claiming her husband was having a seizure resulting in his untimely death. Officials become suspicious when Sue Snow dies a week later under similar circumstances as Bruce Nickell, Stella's husband. When Sue's autopsy revealed she had been positioned by cyanide laced over the counter pain pills, Intense investigations begin uncovering a long history of abuse with Stella.. Stella and her daughter Cynthia have a very tumultuous love/hate relationship. Cynthia suspects her mother is involved in Bruce's death. A long drawn out string of events ensue resulting in Stella's day in court and sentencing.

Very well researched and detail oriented. The audio book was very long and drawn out at times.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for an advanced audiobook copy in exchange for my voluntary review.

Well, wow.

To be honest, I just spent 20 minutes telling my mom about this book hoping that it would help me organize my thoughts so I could write this review. It did not. Sigh.

I remember this case as I was recovering from ankle surgery and spent most of my days on the couch channel surfing and watching all the news programs [watching the news and current events have always been a big deal in our house since I was young so I have always been interested in the stuff I learn there and even thought about majoring in journalism at one point] and this case was just heating up and fast forward to the trial and I was just back from Brazil, looking for a job and watching TV once again and being so intrigued by this. When I started this, it seemed familiar and as I read, I realized I remembered the case from that time, but the details were VERY hazy [it HAS been a few years LOL], so it was really cool to see it all laid out and explained, even though everything I was reading was WAY more horrifying than what I had remembered from seeing it back in the day.

Stella Nickell is one serious piece of work. Her expectations of others in spite of her own behavior was just insane. How she raised [and I use that term VERY loosely] and treated her daughter and the expectations she had of her [despite raising her in a complete opposite way] was absolutely mind-blowing and at no point did I ever think that Cynthia [the daughter] was involved. I believe she loved her step-father [he was kind to her, one of the few that were and I cannot see her working with her mom to kill him just for a pet/fish shop] and her willingness to testify against her mother [which had to be difficult no matter their relationship] to avenge Bruce [her step-dad] proved that to me.

There is a lot of a lot here, I am not going to deny that. The author really dives into Stella's past [as he needed to; you need to see just how depraved she was to see just why she stooped to commit such a heinous crime] and that was some of the most difficult parts to read. She is NOT a nice person [there is no other way to say it] and the author does a really good job in showing all of that in great detail.

The part that was really difficult was all the information [or almost the lack of it] about Sue Snow. The fact that Stella was okay with killing someone else to take the heat off of her is the most depraved thing about this whole story and I wish we could have learned more about them, but because Stella didn't care, there was no connection between them [as Sue's death was just a random throw of the dice essentially], there is little about them in the aftermath. At the end of the audiobook, the author and the narrator talk and he does an update of Sue's daughter [whom he has stayed in contact with over the years] and you get a little more information, but I really felt that of all the people involved, it was Sue Snow's family that got the biggest shaft in all of this.

If you love true crime, you will really like this book. It will make you VERY angry, very, very sad and in the end, there is just no happy ending for anyone [there rarely is in true crime stories, but sometimes you get lucky; that is not the case here] and one is left with frustration, a sick stomach and nothing but empathy for all the people that Stella and her actions hurt.

I also was given an audiobook ARC for this book and I am really glad I did as it helped me dissect everything that was going on. I didn't love the narrator, but she was better than a lot I have had recently, and I would listen to her again should she come up in a book I need an audiobook for. The way she narrates grew on me and by the end, it wasn't all that bad. I am so glad as this book could have gone a MUCH different way in the hands of a different [and indifferent] narrator.

Thank you to NetGalley, Gregg Olsen, Karen Peakes - Narrator, Thread Books and Bookouture for providing this ARC and audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I didnt know much about this story but I learnt a lot from listening to this. I found the narration suited the true crime bent of the story.

All in all really glad I listened to it.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

If you enjoy listening to true crime, you'll likely enjoy this one! Non-fiction whodunnits are usually less exciting than fictitious ones, as the subjects they can cover are limited by reality. This in depth look at all the events and personalities surrounding a cyanide poisoning in 1986, however, was fascinating. Lots of family drama. I absolutely loved how the narrator brought everyone to life. Thank you Bookouture for the ALC of this one.

Narrated by Karen Peakes ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

American Mother
The true story of a troubled family, motherhood, and the cyanide poisonings that shook the world
by Gregg Olsen ⭐⭐⭐

This book was ok, but by no means is the story shocking. I don't know if because in the age we are currently living it we have heard a lot worse things. But if you like true crime as just something to listen too then you'll enjoy this.

Gregg Olsen takes great care to show the many facets of life for this tragic family. I appreciated the research into early childhood, teen years and ultimately motherhood of the generations of women. It created more fuel for the nature vs nurture debate!

This story is chilling and haunting. I cannot even believe that this is a true crime story. It is all too outrageous. I was moved by this story and was so impressed that Olsen honored the story so brilliantly. He was able to share the story but did so by honoring the events and those involved, for better or for worse. The truth is almost always scar than fiction. This in one of the best true crime stories I have ever read! A must read!!!

Thank you so much for this ALC! I was so excited to see Gregg Olsen with a new book, I am not typically a true crime fan. However, he has such a brilliant way of writing, I find myself forgetting it’s nonfiction! The narrator had me so involved in this story. It could become monotonous with court hearings, and talking to family members and neighbors, but she does an amazing job of making the story enthralling. I appreciate the work that goes into these books, and how much time is spent gathering intel!

WoW what a strong audiobook American Mother by Gregg Olsen Narrated by: Karen Peakes Length: 14 hrs and 7 mins. I found this book very interesting from start to finish especially as I love true crime books, about Dangerous Women. However, this audiobook was very hard to get into it and the narrator slightly irritating - So glad I had the ebook as well as I ended up reading this. Which was so much better. American Mother is a true story of a troubled family, motherhood, and the cyanide poisonings that shook the world in the decade of 1980s.

At 5.02 pm on June 5, 1986, an emergency call came into the local sheriff’s office in the small town of Auburn, Washington State. A distressed housewife, Stella Nickell, said her husband Bruce was having a seizure. Officers rushed to the Nickell’s mobile home, to find Stella standing frozen at the door… Bruce was on the floor fighting for his life Stella became the beneficiary of over $175,000 in a life insurance pay-out, forensics discovered that Bruce had consumed painkillers laced with cyanide.

When, a week later, a fifteen-year-old Hayley was getting ready for another school day. Her mom, Sue, called out ‘I love you’ before heading into the bathroom and moments later collapsed on the floor. Sue never regained consciousness, and the autopsy revealed she had been poisoned by cyanide-tainted headache pills. Just like Bruce.

But Why?

A daughter is grieving the sudden and devastating loss of her mother, a young woman, Cindy, was thinking about her own mom Stella. She thought about the years of neglect and abuse, the tangled web of secrets Stella had shared with her, and Cindy contemplated turning her mom into the FBI…

American Mother was written with so much detail from start to finish and brilliantly written. This is a Must read if you enjoy reading Trie Crime stories.

My goodness! This book drew out every detail to the ultimate point and made for what I would eventually call a laborious task. I do love true crime, but this book, with its length and details made me less of a fan.

Bruce Nickell and Sue Snow are dead having ingested cyanide laced Tylenol pills. Stella Nickell is eventually the prime suspect. She is a pretty slick cookie though. At the time, 1986, this started a panic since no one knew who had tampered with the pills and Tylenol capsules were recalled causing a nationwide panic.

Eventually slick Sue a "manizer", was prosecuted and found guilty for a number of assorted crimes, not only murder but also tampering with drugs, a federal offense for which she received a ninety year sentence. The supposed reason for her killing her husband was for the insurance money.

Stella was a cool cucumber, very smart with her answers, but with a basic lack of morality and care for her children. She thought all of this would go away but investigators outsmarted Stella and she is in federal prison. She recently filed to be released because of health reasons. In her letter she finally admitted her guilt. “I am now mentally and emotionally cognizant of the immoral heinous act I committed … I truly and sincerely regret being responsible for the loss of those two precious lives. I pray for forgiveness. There is nothing in this life that can or will cause me to commit another crime.”

The "jury" is still out considering her petition.

This had all the makings of an excellent crime thriller, but the author threw in every minute detail that weighed the story down and made for a labor intensive read. I feel a good 40-50 percent of the book could have been cut down and would have made for a harrowing tale. Sadly, it's not!

Thanks you to Gregg Olsen, Grand Central Publishing, and NetGalley for a copy of this tale which I listened to.